


Wiser

by molly16



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Songfic, madilyn bailey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-08-30
Packaged: 2018-12-21 22:19:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11953821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/molly16/pseuds/molly16
Summary: Rumbelle song fic to Madilyn Bailey’s song Wiser. This is when Belle is so done with Rumple that she turns into the badass independant boss we all know she is. Lyrics are in italics, story is in normal text, and location is in bold.





	Wiser

**Enchanted Forest**

_I thought that it was safe to die inside your arms_  
_I let you in I let you see this naked heart_  
_Lesson learned sometimes love goes behind your back_  
_I guess that’s just the way we find out who we are._

Belle was always the only one that could see “the man behind the monster”, the only person to give Rumple a chance. People would often ask her why she stayed with him and she never had much of an answer. She believed that people should get a chance to be understood by someone, that they deserved room to make mistakes, as long as they didn’t make the same mistake twice. Belle had allowed Rumple to make the same mistake hundreds of times, but she would just look the other way, act like she never saw it. Afterall, he was the only person that seemed to even remotely care about her.

_It melts away the price I pay to taste your love_  
_No more shame those embers they just burn to dust_  
 _Turning pages, bruises fade and I made it through the deep_  
 _I earned my stripes from battle cries this skin is thick_

He took care of her, in a way. If it wasn’t for Rumple, she probably wouldn’t have most of the things she had. When the darkness wasn’t all consuming, Rumple could be a good guy, he would tell her things she’s positive he’s never told anyone else. When she was injured, sick, or in any other way in need of care, he would take care of her, he would look out for her. 

There were times when he would trust her enough to leave her alone for a while, and she would usually end up in his giant library. The more books she read, the more she realized that her relationship wasn’t right. She couldn’t do anything about it though, the darkness in Rumple had made that abundantly clear. The stories did help her through the darkest of times, she would take the role of a strong woman in one of the books she had read and take everything head on. Eventually, those characters became part of her personality, she became stronger, became tougher, more willing to fight.

**Storybrooke**

_I’m wiser from the mess you made I feel no pain._  
_Wiser from the storms I braved yeah I want to say_  
_Thank you thank you_  
_For breaking my heart showing me who you are_  
_I’m wiser from the waves you made_  
_Wiser_

The chance that Belle had wished for finally came one day in Storybrooke. Rumple had travelled over the town line thinking that the scarf would keep him safe. It would have if Belle didn’t mess with the potion, doing God knows what to the scarf. Although it’s unlikely that Rumple would make a mistake in a potion, he is only human. 

Looking back at all of the time she had spent with Rumple, it changed her. It made her stronger, smarter, braver, and wiser. The Belle before the relationship would never had the nerve to do what she just did, would never fight for herself. The Belle that had just sent her husband out of Storybrooke learned how to stand up for herself, how to do more than serve, how to take care of herself, what people act like when they care, and how far people have the right to push her before she pushes back. This Belle isn’t afraid to kick ass and take names. This Belle will stand up for herself. This Belle will never let anyone treat her like anything less than she is.

This Belle is wiser.

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the link to the song if you want to check it out: https://youtu.be/st_KbbwNDUU


End file.
